The present invention relates to a device for transporting upright containers in a straight line.
In the pharmaceutical industry, upright containers such as small bottles of plastic or some other suitable material are filled with tablets, capsules, or coated pills; covered with cotton; and sealed with caps at various stations. Before, between, and after the stations, the containers are moved forward in various ways by transport devices, either continuously or intermittently.
Examples of these types of transport devices include screw conveyors, which move the containers along continuously. In this case the containers are held in the grooves in the screw and travel along with the movement of the screw. Either two screws must be provided, which rotate in opposite directions but at the same speed and which hold the containers between them, or only a single screw can be provided, which is arranged adjacent to a smooth opposing support surface, wherein the containers are held between the screw and the opposing support surface and slide along the opposing support surface. An example of a corresponding screw conveyor is known from EP 2 006 204 A1.
One of the problems with screw conveyors is that intermittent operation, which is, for example, advantageous for the filling of containers, is not possible. In addition, when the format of the transported containers is to be changed, the screws, which are themselves format-dependent components, must be replaced, or at least the distance between the two screws or between the screw and the opposing support surface must be readjusted.